A qualitative study of long-term members of ayahuasca spiritual communities in the United States: Motivations, practices, experiences and beliefs

Long-term participants in ayahuasca spiritual communities in the United States describe these groups as spaces for healing trauma, addiction, and psychological distress, offering belonging and cultural identity. These communities blend Western biomedical views of psychedelics with entheogenic spiritual frameworks, creating a hybrid healing paradigm centered on ritual, music, and shared intention. Members often move from self-focused healing toward relational growth and altruistic action, becoming facilitators and stewards. They navigate interpersonal tensions that foster emotional growth and operate in a legal grey zone, balancing risks of practice and identity. Joining such a community requires careful discernment regarding values, group dynamics, and safety. U.S. ayahuasca communities differ from individualized clinical psychedelic models by emphasizing community, spirituality, and mutual transformation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This novel qualitative study examines the lived experiences of long-term participants in ayahuasca spiritual communities (ASCs) in the United States. Semi-structured interviews ( n = 11) were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis indicating that these communities (1) attract individuals seeking healing from trauma, addiction, and psychological distress, while offering a sense of belonging and cultural identity; (2) integrate Western biomedical understandings of psychedelics with entheogenic spiritual frameworks, forming a hybrid healing paradigm rooted in ritual, music, and shared intention; (3) foster a broad trajectory from self-oriented healing toward relational growth and altruistic action, often transforming participants into facilitators and community stewards; (4) encounter and navigate interpersonal and cultural tensions that arise within intimate communal life, which can serve as catalysts for emotional growth and reflection; (5) operate within a complex legal grey zone, requiring members to balance risks of practice, cultural identity, and legal protection; and (6) emphasize the importance of careful discernment when joining an ASC, encouraging alignment with one's values and awareness of group dynamics, accessibility, and safety. Overall, U.S. ASCs represent a distinctive sociocultural context for entheogen use, diverging from individualized, clinician-led psychedelic treatment models by emphasizing community, spirituality, and mutual transformation. These findings underscore the need for further research into the psychological, relational, and cultural dynamics of non-clinical psychedelic frameworks.